Dark Passion
by FalconPrincess
Summary: Aleera, the Spirit of Passion, has lived in the wilderness for her whole life, the whole 216 years of it. When she's attacked, and is saved by the Nightmare King himself, she falls in love. As a result of this, she must face a decision that is more difficult than anything she's faced before. PitchxO/C. Rated T just in case i get a little carried away.
1. Chapter 1

**_Most say that I was never born. They say that I was a product the Earth herself wrought forth. I don't remember anything from my childhood, only fighting to survive in the cold and dreary wilderness. The first real thing I remember was Pitch._**

I was stalking a deer through the underbrush. I made no sound whatsoever, my bare feet were silent against the frozen ground, and my breath noiseless as it escaped my lips in a puff of white. The deer was trying its hardest to blend in with its surroundings, the white spots on its back melding it into the snowy background, but I saw it anyway. It was a good sized animal, and it would keep me warm and feed me for a good long while. It also meant that it would be harder to take down with the makeshift bow and arrow I had constructed out of a wimpy sapling.

I strung an arrow and steadied my shaking body to take aim. I slowly drew the arrow back and fought down another fit of shivering. A twig across the clearing snapped and the deer bolted. I loosed my arrow after it, missed, and swore to myself. I glared to where the noise had come from and saw a tall, shadowy figure lurking. I started toward it, but I was sideswiped by something huge. I knocked my head on an icy boulder and my vision went blurry. I looked up at what I had decided now was a bear and tried to ready myself for a fight. Before I could do so, it dragged its hooked claws from the top of my shoulder across my chest. I gasped in pain and fell to the ground, my vision once again going blurry. The bear fell beside me and warmth seeped through my clothes. The shadow-figure held a knife in its hand and was slowly approaching, and I blacked out.

I woke in a soft, warm bed with classical music playing lightly all around. I tried to sit up, but sharp pain drove me back down. I felt my shoulder and realized that someone had wrapped it in something soft and sticky. It wasn't gauze, but it almost looked and felt like a cross between spider web and raw silk. Someone cleared their throat from somewhere in the dark corner of the gray and black room, and a cool, accented voice rang softly, "How are you feeling? I tried my best to make you comfortable, but seeing as you couldn't really tell me whether or not I was successful, I could only do so much."

"I'm fine. Who are you?" My voice was a strange thing to hear, raspy from disuse because I had only used it to whisper a small prayer of thanks after I took down prey. The man stood and strode to the side of the bed.

"I believe a thanks would be in order. After all, I _did_ save your life. May I sit?" He gestured to the empty space beside me.

"Sure. And I had it under control; I didn't need anyone to save me."

He raised a dark eyebrow and sat. "Really? Because that's not how it looked from where I was standing." He looked around room lazily, like he was bored. He looked fairly young, but his pale gray skin told a different story. It contrasted so startlingly with his jet black hair, which looked as if it was defying gravity itself: it stuck up almost vertically. He snapped his head in my direction more quickly than his normal laid back movements and looked, his eyes burning into mine. They reminded me of an eclipse; a large black pupil resting in a sea of yellow, gold, and silver, and they were beautiful, the only objects that held color in the room. It was like I had stepped into a black and white movie that had begun to hold color once more.

He smirked and looked down. _I'm flattered, really. Would you like something to eat?_ I heard his voice in my head.

"What was that? Can you hear my thoughts?"

_Yes, and once your body can focus on something other than that nasty injury, you'll be able to hear mine as well. It seems we have some sort of connection. Tell me, what is your center? Survival? _

"It's Passion. I'm the Spirit of Passion. My name is Aleera."

"So very nice to meet you Aleera. I'm Pitch, Pitch Black. You may know be by many other names, the Boogeyman, The Nightmare King, but you can call me whatever you'd like. I suppose you've already assumed that my center is fear, and of course, I'm Dark. But passion, passion could really go either way. Are you Dark, or Light?"

"I'm Neutral. The Man in the Moon hasn't decided what to do with me yet. He wants to wait and see what my nature is before he decides. If you're Dark, then why did you save me? Why not leave me for dead?"

He smiled. _Because you were too beautiful to pass up. _"Because I wasn't sure whether you were Light or Dark. And I figure that if you were dark, that maybe we could join forces."

_So I'm beautiful, huh? _

He looked startled, but smiled uneasily. "I can see your healing is coming along nicely. Your body is beginning to hone in on our connection quite… quickly."

"I think I'll take you up on that breakfast offer. I'm starved. You have a bathroom?"

He nodded and gestured to a small door I hadn't noticed before. "Just in there. Meet me down in the dining room when you're ready." He stood and disappeared into the shadows. Freaky.

I slowly got up and made my way painfully over into the bathroom. Another black and white room. I cringed when I looked into the mirror. My normally perfectly curled hair stuck out in every direction imaginable, its normally bright crimson color was dingy with dirt and mud. I looked absolutely ghastly, my face pale and my skin drawn, purple circles under my normally plum colored eyes, those had dulled as well.

I dragged my focus away from my appearance to the contents of the bathroom. There was a hairbrush, thankfully, and I yanked it through my hair. It would look better soon enough; my appearance almost always took care of itself, the dark circles were already starting to disappear. I took a look at my shoulder, which still hurt pretty terribly. It seemed swollen, but the spiderweb-silk seemed to be cooling my skin and keeping the swelling down. My stomach rumbled loudly and I decided it was time to go see Pitch about breakfast. I followed the smell of food and the sound of sizzling and humming.

Pitch was cooking up a storm, bacon was frying in one pan, eggs in another, bread was toasting, and milk was being poured into tall glasses. He didn't look up as I entered, but pointed to a chair at a black table in the room behind him. "Take a seat. Everything should be ready soon enough."

I obeyed and, sooner than I thought, food was being laid in front of me. Pitch sat across from me, smiling, and I dug in.

_Don't eat too quickly. Your body's still in shock, and I don't want you throwing up. _

I slowed down just barely until I finished everything that was set before me. I don't remember ever eating this much in my entire 216 years of living. After I had finished, Pitch suggested I go back to bed, so I did. I slept more deeply then than ever before.


	2. Chapter 2

I never went back home after Pitch saved me. I found every excuse I could that would allow me to stay with him a little longer. Eventually he found out the real reason I wanted to stay, and it surprised me that it took him as long as it did to figure it out. I would have to fight not to let my mind wander to thoughts of him when he was around. It had been five years since he found out, and in those five years we had developed a daily routine. He slept most of the day as I did my work, and I slept through the night when he did his, but we had adjusted our sleeping in order to have some time for us. I would wake up just a bit earlier to fix breakfast before he got home, he would go to sleep a little later so we could talk or do whatever we wanted after breakfast, and vice versa so that when I got home we could have some time as well.

Today, however, was different. In the middle of fixing pancakes I felt a huge gust of wind blow through the house and heard the Nightmares snorting and whinnying, which was odd because Pitch never allowed them in the house. I ran to see what was going on, and found that in the middle of our living room, a storm of black sand and Nightmares churned. I looked for Pitch in the swirling chaos, but all I could see of him was a flash of his gray skin here and there. I yelled and waved my arms, attempting to ward off the beasts, and they disappeared.

Pitch lay curled up on the floor, whimpering. I rushed to him, "Pitch! Pitch, what happened?" I took his shaking hands in mine, trying to comfort him. His eyes seemed huge as they were directed my face, and once Pitch realized it was me, tears began to spill from them. I hushed him and pulled him close so that his torso was on my lap and his head on my chest. He was shuddering with sobs, and I kept hushing and telling him it would be okay as they got more violent. At one point he decided that he felt okay enough to explain what had happened, and he lifted his face to look at me.

"The Nightmares… they attacked me. I was afraid, Aleera, I was so afraid. And now no one believes in me anymore. The children, they're not scared of me… Oh Aleera, I was so frightened…" his bottom lip began to quiver and his eyes teared up once again. I pulled him back into my chest and rubbed his back soothingly.

"It's okay, Pitch. It's okay. I promise it'll be okay." I pulled his face up to look him in the eyes, which now looked more bright a gold and less silver and yellow. I flashed him a reassuring smile before I pulled him in for a kiss. He seemed to melt into it, his body relaxing and his sobs lessening. I could taste the salt from his tears and feel the warmth of his lips. He broke it off and smiled, telling me that it was okay now, and planted a small peck on my lips.

_Thank you._

I smiled, "I was just making breakfast when you… Come on, sit down at the table and I'll bring it out." I held his hand as I lead him to the dining room and sat him down. When I went to walk away, he didn't let go. Instead he pulled me back onto his lap and wrapped his free arm around my waist, kissing my cheek. I laughed and turned to meet his kisses.

"We really should eat. You need to get your strength back and I need mine for later. Some of us still have to go to work today, you know." I said with a laugh. He let me stand up after he groaned in complaint. I went to go get the food, and Pitch insisted that I sit on his lap as we ate. I obliged, but "only because he's had a rough day". Occasionally he would gently pull my face to his for a quick kiss between bites of his favorite breakfast casserole, a recipe I learned from a friend a long time ago. After we finished eating, we went to cuddle on the couch. I lay next to him on my side, facing him, with him arm slung around my waist. We were silent, and at one point I noticed his breathing had slipped into the deep, steady breathing of someone in a deep sleep. I smiled and looked around to check the grandfather clock on the far wall, which made me jump nearly out of my skin. I quickly escaped his grasp and ran to get out of the house.

It wasn't the first time I'd been late for work, but it had been a long time. I took to the skies, finding the nearest city. As the Spirit of Passion, it's my duty to help people fall in love. Not just with each other, but with hobbies, ideas, and other things like that. I help children and young adults find their calling in life, whether it be science or art or history. I also help adults realize that they need to be doing what they love, not stuck in some cubicle day after boring day.

It was early Spring, one of my favorite times of the year, especially since I helped it be as, well, Spring-y. As I flew through some city in Alabama, I realized it was Easter Sunday. Painted plastic eggs were scattered all over the place, as well as the real ones from Bunny, who I hoped I would run into today. Everyone was dressed in bright colors; hot pinks, lime greens, highlighter yellows, and baby blues. Everything out here was so much different from Pitch's place; things here held color, and beautiful color at that.

A sudden flash of gray and black caught my eye in the woods to my left. It looked as if my wish to see Bunny might come true. I picked up my speed and angled down to where he had stopped, just near a small stream on the outskirts of a clearing where an egg hunt was going on. I landed silently behind him, and if it was anyone other than him he wouldn't have heard me. His ears turned back so I knew he heard me, and I guess when he noticed it who it was, his head whipped around. He grinned and wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug.

I laughed, "Nice to see you too, Bunny. How are things?"

"They're absolutely wonderful now that I've seen you! How are things with you? I haven't seen you in years!"

"They're good, they're good. I've just relocated, you could say." He sensed the meaning behind my words, that I had found a guy and was now living with him.

"Who is it, Aleera? Not a Mortal, I hope, but who then?"

"No, not a Mortal, he's one of us. And I think you'll just have to wait and see. Maybe we can have a little get together soon, just us and the rest of the Guardians."

"Sounds great! Listen, I have to go for now, but just let me know when you want to get together, and I'll make sure everyone's there. Later!" He hopped off and I continued with my work.

I was wandering in the woods, spreading some love to the critters, when I overheard a small boy telling a story to his friends. I decided to take a seat up in the branches of an oak tree and listen, because there was nothing I loved better than a good story.

"… and then Jack told me not to be scared, he told me we were going to have fun. The bad guy was trying real hard to scare me, but I trusted Jack. I knew he would never let anyone hurt me, and then the bad guy started talking to me, asking if I believed in him, but before he could say it, Jack threw a snowball at his face!..." I listened to the boy's story almost to the end, until he said something that made my blood freeze. "…the Nightmares didn't smell the Guardians' fear! They smelled the bad guy's! He tried running away from them but they sucked him up and carried him all the way back to his house under the bed! It was totally awesome!"

So the Guardians were responsible for Pitch's crying earlier. He must have done something absolutely terrible to get all of them together at once, but that was nothing new for Pitch. He wanted so desperately to be believed in that he would do anything, even if it meant tipping the balance of fear and hope in the entire world. Even if it meant keeping something from me. He knew that I would try to talk him out of it; the Balance is the thing that keeps the Earth turning, and if it didn't exist, the Man in the Moon would come down himself to restore it. And none of us wanted that.

I finished up my work and made my way home. I was exhausted when I arrived, too exhausted to even bring up the whole deal with Pitch when he served me dinner. I went to bed right after I finished, leaving Pitch with only a small peck on the cheek. I needed to think later about whether I was mad at him or not before I gave him false hope.

That night I had nightmares.


	3. Chapter 3

**_The wind whirled around me, whipping my hair into my face. I was hovering above a city in the midst of what felt like a hurricane. Somehow I knew it wasn't natural, that it was me causing the storm, but I didn't know how or why. A familiar voice rang out, "Aleera! Stop this right this instant! Pitch is fine!"_**

**_ Pitch? What would be wrong with Pitch? I saw him hovering in front of me, fear in his eyes. Five others were in a circle around me, but I had no clue why they were here. _**

**_ "He's right, Aleera. I'm okay. I'm fine, Aleera. It'll be okay."_**

**_ A flash of light, and he fell, dead._**

* * *

I woke, screaming, to Pitch shaking my shoulder. He was kneeling on our bed beside me, concern etched into his features. I lay still, shaking, and he pulled me onto his lap. I buried my head into his chest and cried.

_Oh, Pitch, it was terrible. I lost control lost control and there was a storm and you… you were dead, Pitch. It was awful._

_ It's okay, I'm here. See? I'm not dead. I'm right here. I'll always be right here for you, I promise. _He stroked my hair and rocked slightly back and forth. I felt like a child, and maybe that's how he saw me, but I didn't care. I was warm, safe, and happy to be in his arms.

When I had finally calmed down, Pitch reached over to the nightstand and handed me an envelope. I recognized North's sloppy and harsh handwriting on the front and tore it open. It read:

Aleera!

You do not know how happy I was when Bunny told me you wanted to visit with us! We are planning a party next weekend, and would love for you and your friend to come! I hope you can make it, because I cannot wait to see you and catch up! I can't believe that it's been almost half a century since we talked last!

Your friend,

North

I briefly considered tearing the letter apart for Pitch's sake, but an idea popped into my head. I could mend the rift between the Guardians and Pitch if I got them together and really tried to make them friends.

"Pitch, dear, we're going to a party next weekend, okay? I want you to meet some old friends of mine." I told him excitedly.

He looked uneasy, which was expected. Parties weren't really Pitch's thing, and by not his thing I mean he avoids them at all cost. But he would make this sacrifice for me, "I guess. How many people are going to be there?" That was another thing of his: he didn't like being around too many people at once.

"Only five other than us. You'll be okay." He didn't look convinced, so I kissed him on the cheek then ran to get ready for work.

* * *

Hey! Thanks you guys for reviewing my story! I'm really glad you like it! Just to let you know I'm now taking requests if you guys want to see me write a fanfiction for something else too! I mostly write slash, but I can also write different kinds too. On another note, I'm sorry this update's a little short. I've been a little busy lately, but starting today I'm officially on Summer Vacation! Which means more and at the same time less time for writing. This'll probably be my last update until early next week, which I apologize for, but I'll be back by Tuesday at the absolute latest. I get to go to South Carolina to see my brother, which is pretty cool, but I might not be able to take my computer with me, so once again I'm sorry. I love you guys! You rock!


	4. Chapter 4

In the days leading up the party, Pitch became increasingly uneasy. You could see it thick in his movements and written all over his face; he was nervous. He was hardly sleeping at all and he wasn't eating nearly as much as he usually did. I did my best to calm him down with little massages or just by taking his mind off of it, but it never worked. The sound of the Nightmares snorting and neighing was constantly around us; you could hear it in every room of our house no matter where you were.

The hours before the party were hectic. Pitch was worrying about what to wear and if we needed to bring anything special and I was worried about how I was going to make them get along.

"Pitch, are you ready to go?" I called from the front door.

"Almost, dear. I'll be down in a minute." I could feel the tension coming off of him in waves. It was so strong that it almost made me sick to my stomach. When he finally came down, I tried to calm him down.

"Pitch, honey, you've got to calm down a little. You're going to make yourself sick. I promise it won't be that bad, and besides you're stressing me out too." I said, nudging him with my elbow. He gave me a small smile and took my hand.

We flew together, circling the skies. Pitch must have looked like a vulture to anyone who could see him and I some kind of odd toucan. The one thing I knew absolutely nothing about was fashion. I usually stuck to my normal shorts and t-shirt, but since today was special, I dressed up a little. I was wearing a ridiculous sundress looked like a rainbow had thrown up on me. Pinks and blues and greens and yellows all swirled together on the thin material, and to cover my shoulders I had thrown on a black shrug, hence the toucan look.

We landed on the outskirts of a clearing in the woods not long after, and I turned to face Pitch.

"Listen, with the party, I really just want you to keep an open mind about everything. And I mean _everything_. Just remember I love you no matter what, and that this is for your own good, okay?"

He looked at me strangely, confused, and slowly nodded. I kissed him softly, then parted the vines to my left and led him in. Pitch stood behind me and at first no one noticed our presence, but Bunny must have heard me, because he turned to look at me with a broad grin on his face.

He bounded over to me and wrapped me in a hug. "Aleera! I thought you'd never get here! Come on in, say hello to everyone! Don't be shy!"

North was the first to approach, his feet thudding on the grass. He squeezed me so hard I thought I might explode and cackled in delight. "It's so nice to see you, my dear!"

Tooth flitted over and gave me a quick embrace along with Baby Tooth and a couple other fairies with a quick "Hi!", then out of nowhere Sandy tackled me. He and I had been close for a while and we hadn't seen each other for a long time, and we both rolled on the ground laughing. I saw a shy figure in the back of the group. He looked about sixteen or seventeen and had the most beautiful blue eyes that I had ever seen. Once North realized I had no idea who it was, he introduced us.

"Jack, this is Aleera, a very dear old friend. Aleera, this is Jack Frost, our newest Guardian."

I smiled and gave him a quick hug. He was startlingly cold, and I gasped in surprise.

"Sorry, I should've told you about that." He said nervously.

"It's quite alright, Jack." I laughed. I heard a gasp from behind me and turned to see that Tooth had discovered my "friend". Pitch looked horrified. Tooth whipped around to glare at me, and slowly it registered in the others why Pitch was here. They all turned to me, their faces a mixture of shock, disbelief, and most of all anger.

"Why did you bring him here?" Tooth asked, clutching her fairies to her chest, "Do you want us to hurt him?"

Pitch's face changed then to a look of amusement. "You, hurt me? Please, don't make me laugh." He received a glare from me and his expression hardened, becoming serious once more.

"Listen to me. You guys need to start getting along. You need to start working together to keep the Balance well… balanced. There can't be too much fear or too much joy in the world without consequences, and none of us want those consequences to be dealt out." I said quietly.

Tooth snorted. "What, are you suggesting we actually become friends with this guy? You're joking, right?" She froze when she realized I wasn't. "If that's the case then, I'll see you guys another time. I won't stay around here with this_ thing._" She shot up into the sky and was gone in the blink of an eye. I turned to Bunny, then to North, my eyes pleading with them to hear me out. Bunny, with a sad look in his eyes, pivoted and hopped away. North did the same, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder and leading him to the sleigh.

I looked to Sandy, my last hope. He looked confused, unsure of what to do. He hovered quietly for a moment, and then disappeared in a flash, mouthing his apologies. I circled around to look at Pitch, but he was nowhere to be found. Except for the Moon, I was utterly alone.

The Moon.

I looked up to him with tears in my eyes, and then he too left me, leaving me in the dark. I fell to my knees and cried. I had ruined everything: my friendship with the Guardians, my relationship with Pitch, and now the Moon no longer seemed to love me. The darkness seemed to cave in on me, crushing me down to nothing. I had never felt more alone in my life.

A flash of blue and gold light to my right made me jump, and there was Sandy, hovering about a foot above the ground, a slight smile on his lips. Jack Frost was next to him, balancing on the hook of his staff, also smiling.

"We decided that you might have a good point. I've seen what happens when the Balance tips for fear, and I don't think I want to see what happens when it goes the other way, so Sandy and I'll help you out with this." Jack said softly. I smiled and a cloud of dream sand appeared above Sandy's head in the form of Pitch, a question mark next to it.

I shook my head. "He's gone, Sandy. Pitch left." Sandy was at my side in a second and had his hand on my shoulder, attempting to comfort me. I smiled, "Thanks Sandy."

Then the Moon appeared, shining brighter than I had ever seen it. Jack wrapped his cold arms around me with Sandy's hand still on my shoulder. I laughed, and then cried. I cried because they were there with me. I cried because I wasn't alone.

* * *

Howdy! I'm back! Thanks once again for all the great reviews! What do you guys think about Sandy and Jack helping out Aleera? Think it'll turn out alright, or do you think it'll just end up being a big mess?

I love you guys!

Kendall :D


	5. Chapter 5

Sandy had Jack and I come to his place for the night so we could work things out and so I would have a place to sleep. His palace was beautiful; it looked as if it were made of solid gold, which for all I knew it could have been. He led us to a large room somewhere in the center of the palace and gestured around, letting us know that this would be our meeting room, then led us to a long hallway full of sculptures and paintings. He turned to Jack and pointed to a door, then did the same to me with a door directly across the hall. I thanked him and hurried in to get some sleep.

I slid off my dress and rifled through the drawers in hope of finding something to sleep in. All I found was in oversized t-shirt, so I pulled it over my head and flopped down on the soft sheets. My eyelids grew heavy and I was asleep before I knew it.

I woke in the middle of the night seemingly for no reason. The room was dark, but as I sat up, the walls started to glow and light filled the room. I was surveying the room to see what could have woken me up when I heard his voice, smooth and low as usual.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I overreacted terribly." He was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, his shoulders slumped and his head hanging. "I could even understand if you didn't want to be with me anymore, but I… I just needed to get this out." I had never seen his so ashamed, and I stood up and walked over to him, kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned away from me, but I pulled his face around to look at me, making him look me in the eyes.

"I love you, Pitch. Why would I ever want to leave you?" A small smile graced his lips and I kissed him. He pulled me up on his lap and laughed, kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he picked me up and carried me to the bed.

"I love you too, Aleera. I really do."

* * *

We lay there afterward talking. My head and hand rested on his chest and he was stroking my hair. We talked about anything and everything; the weather, books, work, anything that we could think of. Eventually I flipped on to my back and huffed out my breath. He eyed my shoulder and chest, then carefully reached out and traced the jagged scars with his long, thin fingers.

"Do you remember how you got those?" he grinned.

"A bear attacked me after _someone_ chased away my dinner." I smiled back.

"And then that someone also happened to kill that same bear before the bear could accomplish its goal of making _you_ its dinner."

I laughed. "That was the first time we met. You saved my life." We made eye contact, gold and purple becoming one, both eyes smiling and remembering that time years ago. We lay in the same place, me on my back with Pitch at my side, until sunrise. All of a sudden, the door flew open and Jack entered the room.

"Woah!" he stepped back and covered his face with his arms. We both rushed to cover ourselves with whatever sheets we could as Jack spun around, embarrassed. "Um… well… Sandy wanted me to let you know that breakfast's ready and there's gonna be a meeting right after. Um… hi Pitch, how's it going?"

Pitch laughed. "Thank you, Jack, and I'm sorry about, well…" I laughed too and gestured to Pitch and I. Jack nodded and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Hey there! Sorry for the really short update, I'm really busy and could just barely squeeze in writing time for you guys since my goal is to update as much as possible. Thanks for all the reviews yet again because I'm just so shocked that people like my writing, and I love you guys!

~Kendall :D


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